End mounting for conveying devices for snow removing mechanism



Jan 17, 1939. w. E. KLAUER END MOUNTING FOR CONVEYING DEVICES FOR SNOW REMOVING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 12, 1936 Jan. 17, 1939. 1 w. E. KLAUER 2,144,317 END MOUNTINGTFOR CONVEYING DEVICES FOR SNOW REMOVING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 12, 1936 {sheets-shear:

l I I l I l l 1 I l x I 7 Jan. 17, 1939. W.E. KLAUER 2,144,317

END MOUNTING FOR CONVEYING DEVICES FOR SNOW REMQVING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 12, 1936 a Sheets-Sheet :5.

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Patented Jan. 17, 1939 PATENT OFFICE END MOUNTING FOR CONVEYING DEVICES FOR SNOW REMOVING MECHANISM Walter E. Klauer, Dubuque, Iowa Application August 12,

9 Claims.

My invention relates to end mountings for conveying devices for snow removing mechanisms, and particularly for power driven, rotary snow removers.

The invention is particularly applicable to the type of snow remover in which a horizontally arranged auger or conveyor extending transversely to the direction of movement of the snow remover is driven to feed the snow to a snow discharging mechanism.

One difliculty in the operation and use of snow removers has been that when an auger is broken or damaged it is rather diflicult to remove it from the snow remover for repairs. As far as I am aware, it has been necessary in the past practically to take 01f one side wall of the snow remover casing in order to remove the auger.

According to the present invention, an arrangement is provided. for mounting the auger such that it can easily be removed fromand replaced in the casing. This arrangement is acauger 'may easily be removed. A special arrangement of the invention consists in the use. of self-centering devices on these end mountings.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a snow remover embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the auger.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross section through the auger and the end mountings therefor.

As shown in Fig. 1, the arrangement includes a frame comprising a transverse rear frame member 2 and side frame members 4. At the front of the side frame members is mounted a scoop 6 which forms the bottom of the casing. The central portion of the rear wall l2 of the casing is provided with an opening I l therein which permits snow to pass through into a rotatably mounted fan casing l6 provided with a discharge spout 18.

The auger itself consists of a hollow shaft 20 rotatably mounted in the side walls 22 of the 1936, Serial No. 95,697 (01. 37-42:)

casing by the arrangement to be described below.

The auger is formed of two sections each designed so as to feed snow towards the center. At the ends, there are mounted, on the shaft 20,. collars 23 which are provided with helical flanges 24 substantially in the form of segments of a circle. Secured to these flanges by bolts 26 are the end portions 28 of the helical auger blades 30.

Fig. 5 shows the details of the auger and mountings. As will be observed, one of the walls of the casing is formed of. two spaced plates 22a and 22b, the latter forming the outer wall. The space between these casings may enclose a driving mechanism of any suitable type for causing rotation of the auger.

On each side wall of the casing (22, 2211) there are mounted annular supporting members 52 Which are secured to the side walls by bolts 54 or in any other suitable fashion. These supporting members enclose ball bearings including outer members 56, balls 58 and rotatable inner members 60.

On the right hand side of the casing, shown in the left of Fig. 5, the inner member 60 of the ball bearing supports an element which consists of a bearing portion 62 extending into the bearing, a body portion 64 and an outer flange 6B. This member is held against outward movement by a bolt 68 which passes through the center and engages by a washer 10 the outer face of the member, while this bolt also passes through a plate 12 which extends behind the ball bearing member 60.

The outer flat surface 14 of the flange 66 has a at its central part a slightly raised projection 16. The outer diameter of this projection is somewhat greater than the inner diameter of the hollow shaft 20.

The end mounting on the other side is arranged to permit driving of the auger therethrough. Mounted in the member 60 is a shaft '18 which. extends on both sides of the ball bearing. Between the wall sections 22a and 221) this shaft carries a sprocket adapted to be driven by a chain or in any other suitable manner. Inside the ,,casing wall the shaft carries a member 82 havin'ga flange 84 similar to the flange 63 and likewise provided with a raised central portion 86.

The collars 23 also carry flanges 88 of the same size as flanges 66 and 84. The flanges 88 are provided with annular projections 94 on their faces having an internal diameter substan- 55 tially equal to the external diameter of projections 16 and 86. Flanges 66, 84 and 88 have opposed sets of holes through which bolts 90 may be passed for securing them together.

The ball bearings may be lubricated in any suitable fashion, and the escape of lubricant may be prevented by sealing rings 92.

When it is desired to assemble the device, or to place an auger in the casing, it is brought in between the end mountings with its flanges opposite the flanges thereof. There is sufiicient play to permit the rotatable members of the end mountings to slip sideward by an amount equal to the height of the projections 16', 86, 94. When the auger is in position, the projections 16, 86 slip within the rings of seats formed by projections 94 and thus center the auger on the rotatable members. The bolts 90 are then inserted, and the whole auger is securely held in position.

In order to remove theaugenitis evident that the reverse procedure is all that is necessary.

As shown in Fig. 2, in the preferred form of the invention a plurality of these augers are arranged one above the other and extending transversely to the direction of movement of the snow remover represented by the arrow a. The augers and the snow discharging mechanism included in the fan casing It: may be drivenin any suitable and well known manner.

While I have'described herein one embodiment of my inventiomI wish it to'be clearly understood that I do not intend to limit myself thereby except within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a snow remover having a casing provided withside walls and having an opening transverse tosaid side walls at least sufficient to provide a space as' great as the cross section of theconveyer, a conveyer, and means for mounting said conveyer to: turn about a horizontal axis transverse to the casing, said means comprising an element on the end of the conveyer having a substantially plane surface, a member rotatably mounted in the side wall of the casing at the end of the conveyer and having a substantially plane surface opposed to the surface of said first element, and means for connecting said element and member together, whereby said conveyer may be removed through said opening when said connecting means is released.

2. In a snow remover having a casing provided with side walls and having an opening transverse to said side walls at least sufli'cient to provide; a space as great as the cross section of the conveyer, a conveyer, and means for mounting said conveyer to turn about 'a horizontal axis transverse to the casing, said means comprising elements on the ends of the conveyer having substantially plane surfaces, members rotatably mounted in the side walls of the casing at the ends of the conveyer and having substantially plane surfaces opposed to the surfaces of said first elements, and means for releasably ing said auger in the casing, said means comprising cooperating elements one on the end of the conveyer and one rotatably supported with respect to the casing, said elements having opposed substantially plane surfaces, and means for connecting said elements together, whereby said conveyer may be removed through said opening when said connecting means is released.

4. In a snow remover, a casing having substantially vertical side walls and having an opening transverse to said side walls at least sufi'lcient to provide a space as great as the cross section of the conveyer, a conveyer for snow, means for mounting said conveyer to turn about an axis substantially perpendicular to said side walls, said means comprising a collar on the end of the convey-er provided with a flange, a bearing mounted on the side wall of the casing at the end of said conveyer, an element mounted to turn in said bearing and having a flange thereon opposed to the flange on the adjacent collar, and H substantially perpendicular to said side walls, 0

said means. comprising a collar on the end of the conveyer provided with a flange, a bearing mounted on the side wall of the casing at the end of said conveyer, a shaft mounted in the bearing, said shaft having a sprocket thereon outside the casing wall, and an element mounted on said shaft inside the casing wall, a flange on said last element opposite the flange on the collar, and means removably securing the flange together, whereby said conveyer may be removed through said opening when said connecting means is released.

6. In a snow" remover, a casing having substantially vertical side Walls-and having an openingtransverse to said: side walls at least suflicient to provide a space as great as the cross section of. the conveyer, a conveyer for snow, means for mounting said conveyer to turn about an axis substantially perpendicular to said side walls, said means comprising a collar on the end of the conveyer provided with a flange, a bearing mounted on the side wall of the casing at the end of said conveyer, a shaft mounted in the bearing, said shaft having a sprocket thereon outside: the casing wall, and an element mounted on said shaft inside the casing wall, a flange on 0 said last element opposite the flange on the collar, said flanges having opposed openings therein, and bolts passing through said openings for removably securing the flanges together, whereby said conveyer may be removed through said opening when said connecting means is released.

'7. Ina snow remover, a casing having substantially vertical side walls and having an opening transverse to said side walls at least sufficient to provide a space as great as the cross section of the conveyer, a conveyer for snow, means for mounting said conveyer to turn about an axis substantially perpendicular to said side walls, said means comprising collars on the ends of the conveyer provided with flanges, bearings mounted on the side walls of the casing at the ends of said conveyer, elements mounted to turn in said bearings and having flanges thereon opposed. to the flanges on the adjacent collars, said flanges having align-ed holes therein, and bolts passing through said holes for securing the flanges together, whereby said conveyer may be removed through said opening when said connecting means is released.

8. In a snow remover, a casing having substantially vertical side walls and having an opening transverse to said side Walls at least suflicient to provide a space as great as the cross section of the conveyer, a conveyer for snow, means for mounting said conveyer to turn about an axis substantially perpendicular to said side walls, said means comprising collars on the ends of the conveyer provided with flanges, ball bearings mounted on the side walls of the casing at the ends of said conveyer, an element mounted to turn in one of said bearings and having a flange thereon opposed to the flange on the adjacent collar, said flanges having aligned holes therein, bolts passing through said holes for securing the flanges together, a shaft mounted in the other bearing, said shaft having a sprocket thereon outside the casing wall, and an element mounted on said shaft inside the casing wall, a flange on said last element opposite the flange on the other collar, said last two flanges having opposed openings therein, and bolts passing through said openings for removably securing the flanges together, whereby said conveyer may be removed through said opening when said connecting means is released.

9. In a snow remover having a casing provided with side walls and having an opening transverse to said side walls at least sufiicient to provide a space as great as the cross section of the conveyer, a conveyer, and means for mounting said conveyer to turn about a horizontal axis transverse to the casing, said means comprising an element on the end of the conveyer having a substantially plane surface, a member rotatably mounted in the side wall of the casing at the end of the conveyer and having a substantially plane surface opposed to the surface of said first element, one of said surfaces having a slightly projecting portion and the other surface having a recess into which said projecting portion fits, and means for connecting said elements together, whereby said conveyer may be removed through said opening when said connecting means is released.

WALTER E. KLAUER. 

